Lackawaxen Township is the largest and northernmost township in Pike County, Pennsylvania. The population was 4,994 at the 2010 census. The Delaware River, which marks the eastern boundary of the township, joins the Lackawaxen River at Lackawaxen Village. The housing communities Fawn Lake Forest and Masthope Mountain are in the township.

History

The European-American settlement in 1798 adopted the Lenape name Lackawaxen, meaning "swift waters," after the river that flows twelve miles through the township.

Bands of both Algonquian-speaking Lenape and Iroquoian-speaking Seneca lived in the area through the early 19th century. Neither tribe had any substantial villages in the area, and they used the land as hunting grounds. Their tools, pot shards and bone fragments have been found at Native American rock shelters and camp sites.

The first permanent European settlers in the area were Jonathan Conkling and John Barnes, who built in 1770. In the Battle of Minisink in 1779, 40-50 European colonial settlers were killed in an engagement with a band of mostly Iroquois and Loyalists led by Colonel Joseph Brant, a Mohawk who commanded forces for the British.

During the early part of the 19th century, logging was the principal commercial activity in the area. It produced as much as 50 million board feet (120,000 m³) of lumber annually. Workers floated logs downriver on the Delaware to markets in Easton or Trenton.

At the same time, the railroad brought tourism to the area and new sources of revenue; the rugged countryside of the upper Delaware Valley became a popular destination for urban tourists. Stations were built at Lackawaxen, West Colang and Mast Hope, and elaborate resort hotels soon were developed nearby. They often provided guides to visitors for fishing, hiking and riding in the area.

Bluestonequarrying became a major enterprise in the area, starting in the mid-19th century. It was used extensively in the construction of the region's buildings and sidewalks.